22:1 | David sang to the LORD the words of this song when the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. |
22:2 | He said: "The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; |
22:3 | my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation. He is my stronghold, my refuge and my savior--from violent men you save me. |
22:4 | I call to the LORD, who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies. |
22:5 | "The waves of death swirled about me; the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me. |
22:6 | The cords of the grave coiled around me; the snares of death confronted me. |
22:7 | In my distress I called to the LORD; I called out to my God. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came to his ears. |
22:8 | "The earth trembled and quaked, the foundations of the heavens shook; they trembled because he was angry. |
22:9 | Smoke rose from his nostrils; consuming fire came from his mouth, burning coals blazed out of it. |
22:10 | He parted the heavens and came down; dark clouds were under his feet. |
22:11 | He mounted the cherubim and flew; he soared on the wings of the wind. |
22:12 | He made darkness his canopy around him--the dark rain clouds of the sky. |
22:13 | Out of the brightness of his presence bolts of lightning blazed forth. |
22:14 | The LORD thundered from heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded. |
22:15 | He shot arrows and scattered the enemies, bolts of lightning and routed them. |
22:16 | The valleys of the sea were exposed and the foundations of the earth laid bare at the rebuke of the LORD, at the blast of breath from his nostrils. |
22:17 | "He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters. |
22:18 | He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me. |
22:19 | They confronted me in the day of my disaster, but the LORD was my support. |
22:20 | He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me. |
22:21 | "The LORD has dealt with me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands he has rewarded me. |
22:22 | For I have kept the ways of the LORD; I have not done evil by turning from my God. |
22:23 | All his laws are before me; I have not turned away from his decrees. |
22:24 | I have been blameless before him and have kept myself from sin. |
22:25 | The LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to my cleanness in his sight. |
22:26 | "To the faithful you show yourself faithful, to the blameless you show yourself blameless, |
22:27 | to the pure you show yourself pure, but to the crooked you show yourself shrewd. |
22:28 | You save the humble, but your eyes are on the haughty to bring them low. |
22:29 | You are my lamp, O LORD; the LORD turns my darkness into light. |
22:30 | With your help I can advance against a troop; with my God I can scale a wall. |
22:31 | "As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him. |
22:32 | For who is God besides the LORD? And who is the Rock except our God? |
22:33 | It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect. |
22:34 | He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he enables me to stand on the heights. |
22:35 | He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze. |
22:36 | You give me your shield of victory; you stoop down to make me great. |
22:37 | You broaden the path beneath me, so that my ankles do not turn. |
22:38 | "I pursued my enemies and crushed them; I did not turn back till they were destroyed. |
22:39 | I crushed them completely, and they could not rise; they fell beneath my feet. |
22:40 | You armed me with strength for battle; you made my adversaries bow at my feet. |
22:41 | You made my enemies turn their backs in flight, and I destroyed my foes. |
22:42 | They cried for help, but there was no one to save them--to the LORD, but he did not answer. |
22:43 | I beat them as fine as the dust of the earth; I pounded and trampled them like mud in the streets. |
22:44 | "You have delivered me from the attacks of my people; you have preserved me as the head of nations. People I did not know are subject to me, |
22:45 | and foreigners come cringing to me; as soon as they hear me, they obey me. |
22:46 | They all lose heart; they come trembling from their strongholds. |
22:47 | "The LORD lives! Praise be to my Rock! Exalted be God, the Rock, my Savior! |
22:48 | He is the God who avenges me, who puts the nations under me, |
22:49 | who sets me free from my enemies. You exalted me above my foes; from violent men you rescued me. |
22:50 | Therefore I will praise you, O LORD, among the nations; I will sing praises to your name. |
22:51 | He gives his king great victories; he shows unfailing kindness to his anointed, to David and his descendants forever." |
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